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H2K2 Conference Insights: Hacker Ethics And Industry Dynamics

Calendar Jul 15, 2002 • User Avatar Anthony Pell
1 - 2 min read
General Esm H446
Topics%20covered

Topics Covered

hacker ethics security dynamics industry practices H2K2 conference resume building security companies
I spent three days at H2K2 hoping someone would say something worth mentioning in The Register. Finally, on Sunday, a couple of speakers did just that (on which more tomorrow). Best of all was Gweeds' savage synopsis of a thing which. . . I spent three days at H2K2 hoping someone would say something worth mentioning in The Register. Finally, on Sunday, a couple of speakers did just that (on which more tomorrow). Best of all was Gweeds' savage synopsis of a thing which world + dog has no doubt long entertained as a vague suspicion, namely the way hackers pimp themselves in hopes of getting hired at great expense by security companies, and the way conferences provide fertile soil for the illusory threat exaggeration on which the security industry feeds.

The corporate model whereby hackers gravitate towards corporate greed and away from the liberation of data and private resources developed with public funds was pioneered by ISS, Gweds noted. Hackers now work to expose security flaws with the specific intention of selling out and obtaining funding to become a security company, he said.

Security lists like BugTraq become the matter for resume stuffing. "Post to BugTraq, become a well-known gadfly on the list, and, like Sir Dystic, get a high-paying job at Microsoft. It's an interesting progression: post a fix to a bug, work on the resume, release some software and then get offered a good job," Gweeds noted with sarcasm.